


Take my picture now (shake it till you see it)

by crystalklances



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bottom Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Getting Together, M/M, Photographer Keith (Voltron), Smitten Keith (Voltron), Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Top Keith (Voltron), lgbt writer, smut in second chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2018-12-20 06:09:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11914821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalklances/pseuds/crystalklances
Summary: Keith has always loved photography, but rarely takes pictures of other people, preferring objects and nature. But when he meets Lance, he finds himself wanting to take Lance's picture all the time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from house of memories by panic! at the disco  
> ...that's actually the whole reason I wanted to write this in the first place and I decided to go a fluffy route since that's what I do best and all lmao
> 
> I have very limited knowledge of cameras and it's been YEARS since I used my own reflex camera so please bear with me

Keith had always been fascinated with photography.

The process of taking a picture—using a device and it would display an exact reproduction of the scene, it was a fantastic thing.

His first camera had been a small, low-priced digital camera—a shiny, red one—when he was a kid. He started out by taking pictures of the area around his home, of animals he saw. The quality wasn’t so great, and he was very unpracticed, but he was hooked. He took pictures of practically everything, in the beginning.

Right from the start, he took his camera everywhere—on bike rides, on long walks, even just trips to the bakery. Because wherever he went, he could find something that would capture his attention, that he wanted to memorize forever so he could look at it again and again.

Growing up, he became more practiced, his pictures sharper. He still took his camera everywhere, even when he went out for a run or working out at the gym. Well, at some point, he learned that bringing his _camera_ was impractical; for times like this, he used his smartphone, instead. He had selected it with the quality of lens and picture in mind, so he would still be able to take the best photos at opportunities without his real camera.

He saved up money so that he could buy a new reflex camera. When he got his first side job in high school, he continued saving up on the side so he could buy all kinds of equipment: tripods, different lenses, bigger SD-cards, software for development, even lenses and a mini-tripod for his phone.

One time, he tried to get into the technical side of photography but in the end, he was too impatient to apply the technical knowledge every time. He knew the basics, and that was enough—in the end, he would always go with his instincts, what felt right at the moment he took a picture.

At some point, he looked at old photographs in a gallery, and suddenly, he wasn’t satisfied anymore with everything being digital. Sure, it was awesome that he could have all his photos available anytime, anywhere, and masses of them, no less. But it would be nice to have physical copies that he could put into photo books or hang on his walls, like in old times.

He started to read up about old cameras with film rolls, where he could get the pictures developed, how he could set up a dark room in his own home, even. He read up on quality printers, ink and photo paper to print and frame digital pictures himself. On his wish list, he put an analog camera as well as a Polaroid camera—just because they seemed cool to him.

What stayed consistent through the years, though, was the kind of motives he photographed: usually inanimate objects, animals, vehicles, anything he found out in nature. Aside from the occasional selfie, he barely ever took photos of humans.

He just didn’t think it was worthwhile, didn’t have many notable attachments to other people. There was the occasional photo with his best friend Shiro when he was around, but that was it; Keith’s library of photographs remained human-less for the vast majority.

That is, until he met Lance.

 

The first time Keith met Lance, he was annoyed.

They met at a photography class in university—a class Keith had picked because it was something he was passionate about and he hoped for easy grades on the side.

Lance had freckled brown skin, royal blue eyes, and a bright, dimpled grin. He had this way of interacting with people as if it was the most natural thing, and Keith envied him for that. They were opposites. Keith knew that he lacked in the social skills department, and it was unfair that a single person seemed to have it all.

And yet, as the soft autumn breeze ruffled Lance’s short brown hair, as he was laughing brightly, rivaled only by the sunshine behind him—Keith only had one thought: that he wanted to take Lance’s picture.

And so, Keith conveniently picked his spot in a way that Lance was in the backdrop of the skyline of the city in the distance, illuminated by the morning sun. It wasn’t _enough_ for Keith, but it was as far as he could get, now, when they never had so much as said hello.

But, Keith swore to himself that day, he would get the perfect picture of Lance, one day.

 

During the next time they had photography class together, Keith learned more about Lance.

He learned that Lance was about nine months younger—born right at the end of July—and the youngest sibling in his family. His brother and sister were a good number of years older than him and already had children of their own. Apparently, the camera he brought to class was a hand-me-down from his brother. Keith wondered if he had other hand-me-downs, like maybe that too-big, vintage-looking jacket of his.

It’s not like Keith actively tried to find out about Lance; it just naturally happened, because he happened to stand nearby and Lance talked about it to his friends.

Keith barely knew them, except for Allura, who he considered a good friend if he was honest. What Keith gathered, was that the other two were called Hunk and Pidge. Lance, Allura, and Hunk were all in their second year, like Keith, while Pidge apparently was a first year, but had picked the class because her brother liked photography too, and she was interested in the technical aspects.

He already knew that Allura took the class because she loved learning new things, and Hunk talked about how this would help him with his food blog. Keith wondered why Lance took the class—he didn’t say anything about it. He was curious what that was about.

Keith half tuned out as the lecturer explained technical things. He knew all of this already, had years of practical experience. In his opinion, he had every right to stop listening here. Plus, he had to try to figure out how to take a picture of Lance without raising suspicion.

Because that was still very much a thing he wanted to do: take a picture of Lance. Well, to be truthful, he wanted to take _many_ pictures of Lance, for some reason. Keith didn’t really understand _why_ himself, just that it was this urge he had.

But he couldn’t just go up to Lance like, “Hey, I don’t know you, you don’t know me, but can I take your picture?”

Yeah, that sounded like such a great idea, totally not awkward. Definitely not an option until Keith knew _just why_ he wanted to take pictures of Lance, in case the question was asked.

In the end, Keith took a similar photo to the last time: the landscape of the hill and trees and the sky, with Lance conveniently standing in the way.

 

Keith really needed to go back to taking pictures of animals around the area or stones on the ground, or the plant life. He felt like he’d lose his reputation if he kept submitting only pieces of the horizon as results of his desire to take a picture of Lance. So that’s what he did during the next class, finding his motives like he had always done.

But it didn’t give him the same feeling of satisfaction he had known all his life. His pictures were as good as always, but they felt dull. Nothing could compare to the allure he felt at the thought of photographing Lance, his smiles, the way he moved.

Figuring out how he could take a proper picture of Lance, just like that, was hard, though. This also went for figuring out why he wanted to do that, why his mind was so occupied with the boy.

He still thought it was because they were opposites; because Keith envied Lance for how bright he was. But was that really it? Would Keith really dedicate his beloved hobby to someone he felt negatively about? Did Keith really, honestly feel negatively about Lance? If not, what did he feel, then?

Keith didn’t know. What he knew, though, was that he needed to find a way to take a proper picture of Lance. He had to wait for an opportunity to arise, even if patience wasn’t always his strongest point.

 

As it turned out, luck was on his side.

One time, Lance walked off to the same direction that Keith was already in. His back was turned to Keith. No one else was around.

Keith would be able to take a picture of Lance, close up, from an angle. He wouldn’t be noticed, as Lance was occupied with finding his own motive. It was the perfect plan. Keith approached, slowly, camera ready, as he searched for the perfect angle, to get the perfect shot of Lance.

Lance was climbing on a low branch of a tree. Keith didn’t know why, and it didn’t matter, really. What mattered was Lance’s focused face as he looked up at the screen of his own camera, how the tip of his tongue stuck out slightly from the corner of his lips, the one Keith could see through the viewfinder. Keith was entranced. He snapped a shot, knowing in his gut that it was perfect.

Then, just as Keith had lowered his camera again to let it rest hanging in front of his chest, there was a faint yelp and the sound of a branch moving.

Keith reacted instinctively. In a split-second, he moved forward to catch Lance with both arms, before he could hit the ground.

For what felt like a long moment, they stood like this, not saying a word, staring into each other’s eyes. Lance’s lips formed a silent “Oh” of surprise, his eyes were wide. Keith wished he had two extra arms so he could capture the moment with his camera.

Keith had never understood what the phrase “sparks flew between them” was supposed to mean in novels. But at that moment—it felt like there were sparks between them. He could _feel_ it: a tingle in his skin, a warmth deep inside his chest.

The moment was broken when Lance snapped out of his daze and said, “Uh…”

Keith snapped out of his own daze. He cleared his throat and set Lance down, carefully, to make sure that Lance had proper footing.

Lance smiled at him.

“Thanks for catching me,” he said. “Who knows what would have happened otherwise.”

“You’re welcome. Good thing I was around, huh?” Keith joked as if he hadn’t been around on purpose.

“I’m Lance, by the way.” Lance held out his hand.

“Keith.” They shook hands. Keith asked, “Why did you climb up there, anyway?”

He wasn’t quite sure what made him ask. Maybe Lance’s mere presence right in front of him gave him an increase of social skill for the moment. Though, he also _was_ curious, now that he’d asked.

“I spotted a dragonfly up in the higher branches,” Lance explained. “My nephew is really into insects these days, so I wanted to take a picture for him. Well, and use it for the course, too, if it turned out any good.”

“Did you catch a shot?”

“I did, just before I slipped off,” Lance said. “But who knows if it’s any good.”

“Let me see.”

Lance raised an eyebrow but handed his camera over to Keith. Keith clicked through the menu to get to the most recent photo and took a look. It was sharp, and the dragonfly was clearly visible, though it was apparent that it was just a regular camera, nothing compared to Keith’s own reflex camera.

Keith handed the camera back.

“It’s not bad,” he said.

“Were you already into photography before joining this class?” Lance asked.

“What gave it away?”

Lance pointed and remarked, “Your camera. You’re pretty much the only one with a fancy reflex camera. And I’ve seen you with it around on campus before, last year.”

Keith was surprised. Lance had seen him before? Then how come Keith had never seen _him_ until the first session of this class?

But finally, he responded to the original question, “I’ve liked photography ever since I was a kid with my first camera. I carry it around pretty much everywhere, or use my smartphone if I can’t have an actual camera along.”

“So you took the class because you love it? Or to get easy marks?”

“Both, I guess. I mean, if I get an opportunity like that, why not take it?” Keith shrugged. “Why did _you_ take it, then?”

“I wanted to get better, I guess. I want to take nicer pictures of my pets, of myself, of my art and crafts,” Lance replied. It seemed like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. Instead, he asked, “What did you take a picture of around here before you caught my fall?”

“Just the scenery,” Keith replied.

“The skyline again?”

Before Keith could say anything in response to that, the two of them were called over by the lecturer. Apparently, they had been apart from the group for longer than either of them had thought. Their eyes met and they shared a sheepish smile before jogging over together.

Keith couldn’t get their interactions out of his head for the rest of the day, especially the feeling of when he had held Lance in his arms. He hoped that they could talk again.

Later in his room, he printed out the shot he got of Lance in the tree and placed it in a picture sleeve on his wall, right next to the other photos Lance was in.

That night, he fell asleep thinking about Lance, his smile, the expression he had when Keith had caught him, and the warm, tingly feeling all over his body that Lance had caused in him.

 

Ever since that morning, Keith looked out for Lance on campus throughout the day. To his surprise, they ran into each other frequently. Each time, Lance would shoot him a smile or a grin. Each time, Keith wished he could capture the moment.

As the weeks went on, from time to time, Keith would join Lance and his friends for lunch. Otherwise, though, their interactions were limited to photography class.

When it was time for their last lesson before finals, Keith thought, to hell with it. He would unabashedly take pictures of Lance, not caring if everyone would know, Lance included.

He stood, camera raised to his eye, aiming through the viewfinder. He was ready to start taking pictures from this angle, Lance’s face in profile with the top of his vintage jacket and a glimpse of his navy shirt in the viewfinder. Lance was laughing at a joke. He turned around to look at Keith, lips still parted in a toothy smile, at the same time as Keith released the shutter. Keith got the perfect shot.

It was at that moment, the exact moment he shot the photo, Lance’s bright smile—brighter than the sun—, memorized forever, that Keith realized. He was in love with that smile.

When asked why he took a photo of Lance, he just shrugged and said he did it as a joke. It was far from a joke, though.

Keith knew that this picture would be his final submission for the class, no matter what.

At the end of the lesson, it hit Keith that with the semester ending, the same went for this course. Would this mean that he wouldn’t be able to interact with Lance anymore? Keith frowned. He didn’t want that. He wanted to keep spending time with Lance, wanted to get to know him even better than just their small conversations while taking photos at the same spots.

When class was dismissed, Keith made a bold move. He grabbed Lance by the arm to hold him back and get his attention.

When Lance looked at him with a quizzical expression, he blurted out, “Wanna have coffee together sometime?”

“You mean like—?”

“Just to hang out… or a date. Whichever you like.”

Lance smiled.

“Date sounds just fine to me.”

Keith smiled back.

“Cool.”

His step felt light as they walked off together.

 

Their first date was on the next Saturday. They had decided to go to a café outside of campus, hoping it would be less crowded with students trying to cram for finals. They were lucky.

Both of them were dressed casually, but Keith hoped he looked good. Lance was wearing his usual vintage jacket and certainly looked as cute as always. That was another thing that Keith had come to realize—that Lance wasn’t just objectively good-looking, but always beautiful in Keith’s eyes.

Keith had wanted to bring his camera, but in the end had decided against it, at least this time. If need be, he still had his phone with him. He had no idea if or how he could get a photo of Lance while they were out together, but he would see.

They sat at a small table at the back of the room, not quite in the corner, not by the window. Both had a type of coffee, and cake to go with it: Keith had a chocolate cake with dark chocolate frosting, while Lance had cheesecake. Keith had only tried the coffee from this place before, which was a good quality; hopefully, the cake wouldn’t disappoint either.

According to Lance, it wouldn’t.

“I love this place, the pastries are delicious, and the people are nice,” Lance said, already taking a forkful of cake.

Keith clicked his tongue.

“I’ll be holding you to that promise.”

“You never had something from here?”

“Aside from coffee? No.”

“Try it, then.”

Lance was looking at him encouragingly. Keith wondered if he had the same look for his niece and nephew when they were faced with unknown things. The thought made him smile.

“Alright, alright.”

Keith picked up his fork and took a bite from his cake. It was as promised.

“Well?”

Keith feigned a thinking face before he said, “Yeah, it’s good.”

“Told you so!”

Lance grinned.

They started out just sitting in silence, but soon, they were chatting about this and that while eating and drinking. Somehow, the topic landed on Keith and his collection of cameras. He told about how he had been able to buy an old camera with film, but still didn’t have a Polaroid.

“It’s been on my wishlist for ages, but nothing so far” he said.

“Why a Polaroid?” Lance wanted to know. “Aren’t those like, ancient?”

“Maybe they are, but I still want one,” Keith answered. “I just, I dunno, I think it’s so cool, taking a picture and you can hold it in your hands right away. I want one just to have one, and maybe use it for snapshots for, I dunno, special occasions or something.” _Like now, on dates with you_ , he thought but kept to himself.

Lance nodded.

“You really are passionate about photography, huh?” he asked with a soft smile.

“Yeah, I guess.” That smile made Keith feel warm. He paused, then asked a question of his own. “What are _you_ passionate about?”

“What am I—huh. That’s a good question.” Lance looked thoughtful, holding his chin with one hand as he looked into the distance. Finally, he looked back at Keith and said, “There are a lot of things that I love. There isn’t really just _one_ thing, you know?”

“I think you’re just passionate in general,” Keith observed.

“Maybe I am.” Lance looked down at his cup. “But sometimes, it feels like I’m not enough. Like nothing I do is good enough.”

Keith frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, I just—I don’t really have a _thing_ , you know? I’m not a genius, I don’t really have special talents. I’m just there.”

“It doesn’t matter that you’re not a genius. You’re pretty clever. You’re creative. You’re great when it comes to social interaction. That counts for something. And…” Keith took a breath. “You light up the room just by being there. That’s pretty amazing.”

“O-oh…”

“To be honest? At first, I was jealous of you, because you have all these qualities that I don’t. I’m always called the lone wolf, you know? Brooding, that’s apparently my thing. I’m more of a stormy sky, and you’re just so bright, you’re, you’re like the sun. I admire that.”

Keith twirled his cup on the saucer while he spoke, but didn’t break eye contact with Lance.

“You, you really think all that?”

“Yeah. Why would I lie?”

“I don’t know. It’s just… no one ever calls me that kind of stuff. I don’t know what to say, Keith.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Lance.”

Lance said nothing in return, but he offered a smile.

Keith changed the topic and asked, “Did you get to show your nephew the dragonfly photo yet?”

“Oh, yeah, I did!” Lance’s face lit up. “I sent it in an email. He loved it and apparently even demanded to have it printed, so he can hang it up on his wall.”

“That’s awesome.” Keith smiled. “If you ever need more pictures of bugs to send him, I have a big collection. I’ve been taking a ton of photos of nature over the years.”

“You really love nature, don’t you?”

Keith nodded.

“I love the outdoors. Forest, desert, beach… I love them all. It’s calming, and there’s so much beauty to discover.”

Lance smiled.

“I love the beach the most, personally. But it’s true, there’s a lot of beauty out there. The photography course made me see the area around here with different eyes.”

Keith smiled, as well.

“I’m really glad I took the course. Not just because I love photography, but also because I got to meet you.”

“Me too.”

They spent the rest of the time in the café finishing their drinks and cakes in silence, stealing glances at each other and smiling whenever their eyes met. It was nice. Keith never thought that something like this could be possible.

When they walked back to campus, Lance stopped Keith near a tree and said, “Let’s take a selfie together to remember the date!”

Keith smiled.

“Sounds nice. But we’re taking my phone, it has the better camera.”

Lance rolled his eyes.

“Fine. You take the picture, then.”

They went into pose, close together so that both of their faces could fit on the screen. Keith opened the front camera, knowing that the quality wasn’t as good as with his other cameras but would still be decent with his phone. When he was satisfied that the focus was right, he shot the picture to keep their smiles memorized forever.

Lance was shooting a finger gun at the camera while grinning brightly. Keith couldn’t help but smile more, affectionately.

“You have to send it to me!” Lance said.

“Alright, alright. Give me your number,” Keith said.

“Wow, what a smooth way to ask a guy for his number.”

“I did it, and that’s what matters.”

Lance laughed but gave Keith his number. Keith sent the photo with a short message.

They finally parted at their dorms with a brief hug. Keith still felt tingly from the contact even when he was alone in his room.

Still high from this warmth, he set the selfie with Lance as the new background image for his phone.

 

With finals approaching, they didn’t have a chance to go on more dates, though they met up to study in each other’s company. Just sitting side by side or back to back, with their respective study materials in front of them.

Then, winter break came, and they had to part.

They stayed in touch via text, but Keith felt lonely without Lance. He still didn’t know what he would do without being able to spend scheduled time with Lance once a week in photography class in the new semester.

Keith spent the break working out, going on photo trips—just the usual. The photos were mostly of the landscape and plants around, and he wished Lance was there with him. Whenever he saw bugs, he thought about Lance because of the dragonfly incident. Keith also took pictures of spiders. He wondered if Lance’s nephew’s fascination extended to those, too. He would have to ask Lance.

When Christmas arrived, once again Keith was disappointed by the lack of Polaroid camera under the tree for him. He would just have to keep saving the money he earned in his side job when he moved back to uni.

Whenever Keith unlocked his phone and he saw the background photo, he felt the same tingly, pleasant warmth he had grown accustomed to now. Each time, he couldn’t help but smile at the screen.

It was only when he lay awake at night the day before traveling back to the dorms, after he had had a video chat with Lance, that Keith had a thought entering his mind. A faint realization that hit him only now, even though they had been on a date before and had had regular contact.

“I think I have a crush on Lance,” he whispered the thought into the darkness of his room, making it so _real_ by voicing it.

 

They didn’t meet again until the day after Keith returned to campus. In the afternoon, Lance showed up at Keith’s room.

When Keith opened the door for him, he said, “Let’s go for a walk around campus.”

“Sure,” Keith said right away. “Let me just grab my camera.”

Lance smiled.

“Sure.”

A moment later, they were out on the grounds. They started out just walking silently next to each other. Lance stayed patient whenever Keith saw something he wanted to take a picture of, be it a plant or a bird or a cool stone.

It was a dull day, the sun mostly hidden behind clouds, but Keith didn’t mind. It was still nice. And besides, he had Lance here with him.

When Keith was done taking a picture of a spider in its web and turned around to join Lance again, he found the other with his eyes closed, gazing skyward at the faint sunlight breaking through the clouds. Keith couldn’t help it—he raised his camera again, adjusting focus carefully to capture Lance’s serene smile. This had to be perfect.

As if he sensed that Keith had just taken a photo of him, Lance opened his eyes and looked at Keith just as he lowered his camera again.

“What did you shoot a picture of?” Lance asked, eyebrow raised.

“Just a rare sunbeam,” Keith replied.

“Huh? But your back is against the sun. I’m pretty sure you were aiming at me.”

“Exactly.”

Lance’s face flushed, lips parting in a surprise.

“O-oh.”

“Does it bother you that I take pictures of you?” Keith asked.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Lance said quickly. “I guess… I guess I’m just surprised. I can’t think of why you’d want pictures of me like that.”

“Wanna hear the truth? I’ve wanted to take your picture all the time, for months now,” Keith finally admitted out loud. “But I didn’t know how to ask, so I had to be sneaky. Remember the dragonfly incident? Right before I caught you, I took a picture of you.”

“O-oh.”

“Sorry. Does that weird you out?”

“No, it’s alright. But… you should’ve said something sooner, I guess.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Lance smiled. “Can I see the picture?”

“Sure.”

Keith opened the picture and held the camera’s screen out for Lance to see.

“That’s a nice shot,” Lance said.

“Not just nice, it’s perfect,” Keith corrected.

“If you say so.”

They continued their walk, Keith now openly daring to ask Lance to pose for photos. Like on their first date, they took a selfie together before returning to the dorms.

Back in his room, Keith printed the shots of Lance with his photo printer that he refused to part with even for uni. He wanted to frame the picture of Lance’s serene smile, just like the photo of Lance’s grin he had submitted for the end of the photography course. He looked at the picture, his chest feeling full to burst, but also feeling a dull ache at the same time.

He had only realized them a short time ago, but he knew he should tell Lance about his feelings.

 

The opportunity came—on Valentine’s Day, of all things.

Keith and Lance were meeting to walk around town. If they had picked the date on purpose or didn’t realize what the occasion was, Keith couldn’t tell. But he would be stupid if he didn’t take the opportunity.

He bought a bouquet of red roses, making sure that Lance wouldn’t find out about it.

Before he left for Lance’s room, Keith documented the bouquet with a picture. He had dressed as cool-looking as he could without looking like too much. Keith couldn’t explain to himself how he was both confident and nervous at the same time.

When he was finally at Lance’s door, he hesitated for just a fraction of a second before he knocked, the bouquet ready in front of him.

Lance opened the door with a soft smile, one hand behind his back, but his mouth fell open when he saw Keith with the bouquet.

“Keith… are those roses?” he squeaked.

“Yeah, and they’re for you,” Keith said.

“Well, this is awkward, because I got roses for you, too.” Lance pulled his arm forward to reveal a similar bouquet, decorated with a blue ribbon instead of red.

“Oh.” Keith was speechless for a moment. Finally, he laughed. “We had the same idea, huh?”

“Looks like it.” Lance smiled, then looked serious. “So… we’re _date_ -dating now?”

“If you want to.”

“I want to.”

“Then we are.”

“What about kissing and stuff, then? Like, right now?”

“Sure.”

They both leaned forward for a kiss, bumping noses at first, but soon they found the right way to go. The kiss lasted only a short moment, as they were standing in Lance’s open door and had two bouquets of roses between them. They parted with smiles on their faces.

“We can do more of that later,” Lance said, still smiling. “For now… let’s take a picture with our traded bouquets before we go?”

“Absolutely.”

They took a selfie, both smiling brightly, somehow managing to hold both bouquets up to be in the picture. After they put the flowers away in their rooms, they finally left on their date. They spent it holding hands the whole time and taking many more bright-smiled selfies together.

 

Some time after they started dating, Lance texted Keith, saying he had a surprise for him and to meet at their usual place. Their ‘usual place’ was the area the dragonfly incident had happened at.

Keith raised a curious eyebrow at his screen but left for the destination at the agreed time. Lance was waiting for him with a bag.

“What’s the surprise?” Keith asked.

“Aw, no kiss in greeting for your boyfriend?” Lance teased.

“I’ll kiss you more than enough later anyway,” Keith noted.

“I know.” Lance grinned. “Anyway, the surprise is… this!”

He pulled something out of his bag and held it out for Keith. Keith’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Is that…?”

“A Polaroid? Yep!” Lance was still grinning. “I know how much you wanted to have one, so… I thought I’d give you one as a present.” He paused, looking sheepish. “I actually had it since winter break, but then I didn’t find the right opportunity to give it to you. It belonged to my grandpa, but no one uses it anymore, so I asked if I could have it for you since you’re so enthusiastic about cameras.”

“It’s really okay for me to have it?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t have it here otherwise.”

Keith held the camera gingerly. Finally, he smiled.

“Thank you.”

Lance beamed.

“Well, aren’t you gonna take my picture?”

Keith laughed softly.

“You got it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's lovely art for the Valentine's selfie scene! You can look at it [here!](https://princetins.tumblr.com/post/166225574727/hey-im-the-anon-that-asked-about-the-clothing)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is still just as obsessed with taking Lance's picture. Now, he also wants Lance's picture related to... certain activities in the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I alluded to it when I first posted this fic, and now, over a month later, here I am with a smutty second part. I decided to post it as second chapter because it felt better this way.  
> There's still more fluff along with it, but there's two smut events. I am still practicing.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Nothing much changed after getting together with Lance. Keith still took pictures of anything and everything when he didn’t have to be in class, study, or work. He still carried his camera everywhere.

What changed, though, was the number of pictures he took of Lance.

Keith photographed Lance at every opportunity. When they met to study; when they hung out with their friends; when they went on dates. Sometimes, Keith took the polaroid along when he had the feeling there would be a special motive. From time to time, he took pictures of Lance with their other friends, as he had grown fond of them as well, and Lance was in his element surrounded by everyone.

With all of these as well as the selfies they took together, Keith wanted to put together a picture book along with commentary of the scene. That way, he would be able to look at the memories of his moments together with Lance, again and again, have them on the shelf. And maybe one day, when they have a family, he would be able to show the book and tell stories from before the kids’ days.

And even if they wouldn’t last—Keith would still be able to recall the days of when he was with this beautiful boy, when they were young and in love. Even though the memory would be bittersweet, that would be better than having nothing, like he had nothing to remember his mother by other than the knife she had left him with.

Maybe, he thought, that was the reason why he was so obsessed with photography and especially taking Lance’s picture, now that he had found someone he loved more than anyone. To have memories he could grasp, to be prepared if it happened again that he lost someone he loved.

Of course, he hoped with all his heart that there was a happy future together for them, but the fear was there, in the back of his mind.

When he told Lance about his plan, Lance was excited.

“It’s like the old picture books of my family!” he said. “I love looking at them and hearing all the stories behind the photos. How sweet of you to plan ahead like that! Hey, we could practice by showing it to my niece and nephew when it’s done! Uh, that is, if you want to come visit my family someday?”

Keith smiled, relief flooding through him at Lance’s enthusiasm and that Lance seemed to feel like him, hoping for a lasting future together.

“Of course, I’d love to meet your family.”

Lance beamed at that and Keith did what he did best: raised his camera and snapped a photo to memorize his expression forever.

 

They were sitting on Lance’s bed. Because summer break was right around the corner, they wanted to savor any time they could have together before they had to part for a while.

Soft kisses turned into open-mouthed, hands started to stray. Keith groaned into Lance’s mouth as Lance’s hand tangled into Keith’s hair, clawing at his scalp and tugging. In turn, Keith’s hands went underneath Lance’s shirt and into the back of his pants, feeling up his chest and squeezing his ass. The moan he received in response was music to Keith’s ears.

Keith was growing hard. They had never gone further than making out before, and Keith wasn’t sure he could just stop at this rate. He would never do anything that Lance wasn’t okay with, but he hoped that Lance would want it just as much.

Lucky for him, when Lance pulled away, his eyes were full of desire.

“Keith,” he murmured, “I really want to blow you.”

Keith groaned again.

“Yes. God, yes. Go on.”

He adjusted his position so that he was facing forward at the edge of the bed, both feet firmly on the floor. He watched as Lance slid to the ground, on his knees in front of Keith. Keith licked his lips in anticipation.

Lance opened the front of Keith’s jeans to release Keith’s dick. He took him in hand, giving two slow strokes, then feathered a kiss to the tip before finally taking him in. Inch by inch, his cock disappeared into Lance’s mouth.

And oh, how good it felt. Keith could barely hold back the sounds from escaping him as he watched Lance bop up and down on his dick, sucking and working his tongue. Lance’s eyes were half-lidded as he gazed up at Keith.

“ _Fuck_ , Lance,” Keith breathed out in between low moans. “You’re doing so good, babe. You look so pretty like that. I wish I had my camera. I want to look at you sucking me off again and again.”

Lance moaned around him at the encouragement, taking him all the way in. It took all of Keith’s control not to buck forward; he didn’t want to make Lance gag more than necessary. Keith could feel that he wouldn’t last much longer.

“Lance,” he groaned. “I’m gonna cum.”

Lance hummed in response, pulling backward slowly. He swirled his tongue around the tip of Keith’s cock, giving attention to the slit, licking up drops of pre-cum. He pulled back just in time for Keith to release, his load shooting all over Lance’s face.

God, Keith wished he had his camera right now. Lance looked so beautiful, his face thoroughly covered in Keith’s cum. Keith committed the picture to his memory, but he wished he could have a lasting memory, have a photo he could keep forever so he would never forget this moment, the exact image.

Still, he had the decency to apologize.

“Sorry about that,” he said.

Lance smiled, slowly licking his lips.

“It’s okay. Next time, I’m just gonna swallow.”

A shiver ran down Keith’s spine.

“Don’t make promises like that right after you blew me. You’re just gonna get me hard again.”

Lance grinned innocently.

Keith couldn’t help but smile fondly at him.

Then, he said, “Wait, let me clean you off.”

He leaned over to grab a handful of tissues from the dispenser on the nightstand. He carefully wiped the cum off Lance’s face, who had his eyes closed. Now clean again, Lance’s face was just as beautiful as ever. No matter what, it would always be the perfect motive for photos, in Keith’s eyes.

“Now… let me return the favor,” Keith murmured into Lance’s ear.

He could hear Lance take in a shuddering breath.

“Yeah—yeah, sure. That’s a fantastic idea.”

Keith chuckled as they switched positions. He didn’t wait long before he went down on Lance mercilessly, determined to make him feel utterly satisfied. And when he watched Lance’s blissed-out face post-orgasm, again, Keith wished to hold this moment forever in a photograph.

He knew for sure that the next time they had sex, he would be prepared and have his camera ready.

 

Summer break was a hard time for Keith.

He was admiring the landscape but kept thinking how much prettier it would be if Lance was around, how nice it would be if Lance was there surrounded by the plant life. Whenever he took pictures of an interesting building, he thought about how beautiful it would be if Lance was posing in front of it. How sweet it would be if they could take a selfie together.

Sometimes, he took pictures with his phone and sent them to Lance with captions like, ‘wish you were here’ and ‘guess what’s missing in the picture.’

Keith took pictures of animals—cats, birds, anything he met. Especially the cats, he wanted to show to Lance. He took some pictures of bugs, thinking of Lance. Keith had to ask if his nephew was still into bugs, so Keith would be able to provide those photos for the kid.

One time, Keith walked past a field of sunflowers on a sunny day, and his first thought was that this was Lance in plant form. He took many pictures of them, of the whole field and individual flowers from different angles, thinking of his boyfriend the entire time. He would put the sunflower field into his ‘Memories with Lance’ picture book, purely because of the association.

Sunflowers suddenly were his favorite, and when he told Lance about it later when they had a video chat, all Lance did was smile and say, “That’s really sweet of you.”

Keith kept counting the days until they would be together again for the next semester.

 

Finally, the day came that they went back to the dorms. When Keith unpacked and set up his room, he made sure that his camera’s battery was fully charged. He made sure that the lube and condoms were right in reach on the bed. He wanted to invite Lance over to his room later tonight. They had talked about it and had both agreed that they wanted to do it.

They met up in the afternoon. First, they went to the coffee shop together to grab drinks, then started walking around campus. Sure, holding a drink in one hand meant that Keith wasn’t able to get his camera if he saw something cool. But it was okay: he was holding Lance’s hand with his free hand.

They were catching up on things that happened to them that they hadn’t talked about via chat and phone. Lance was doing most of the talking, but that was fine with Keith. He smiled as he listened to his boyfriend and gave input whenever necessary.

Eventually, when they had finished their drinks and discarded their cups, they arrived at ‘their’ tree—the tree where Lance had tried to snap a picture of a dragonfly and Keith had caught him as he fell. Together, the two reminisced about the incident, laughing and smiling. Keith took a couple of pictures of Lance, then they took selfies together.

After walking around a while longer, they went to have dinner together. The dorm’s dining hall wasn’t as full as usual, as students were still slowly trickling in from home. Keith and Lance both had decided to come back early, to have more time to catch up together before class would start.

When they were done eating, Keith finally said, “Let’s go to my room.”

Lance took a breath.

“Yes. Yes, that's a very good idea.”

They left together, Keith leading the way. Keith unlocked the door and held it open for Lance. Once inside, Keith first placed the camera on the nightstand, then kicked off his shoes. When he turned around, he saw that Lance was already on the bed, shoes off and all. Keith smiled and joined him.

For a moment, they just sat there, staring at each other and not moving.

“Uh…” Lance eventually said. “What now?”

“I guess… I guess we start by kissing?” Keith provided. “Unless you don’t want to do it. I won’t do anything you’re not ready for.”

“I’m ready,” Lance said firmly. “I want this. I want you. I want to feel you all the way.”

“Yeah. Me too. I really want to fuck you. I want to make you feel good.”

Lance closed his eyes and took a breath. When he opened them again, he smiled seductively, and when he spoke, his voice was low—no trace of the squeaky edge it often held.

“What are you waiting for, then?”

Keith laughed softly. He leaned forward, about to kiss Lance whose eyes fluttered shut in anticipation. But he stopped right before meeting Lance’s lips, taking a moment to take in every little detail of Lance’s face, as if studying his favorite picture motive. Once Lance realized that no kiss was coming, his eyes opened again, eyebrows drawn together and lips forming a pout.

Keith chuckled.

“Who knew you were a diva in bed?” he whispered before finally closing the gap to kiss Lance.

Lance’s hands grabbed at the front of Keith’s t-shirt, while Keith’s own took hold of Lance’s waist, rubbing at the smooth skin exposed where Lance’s shirt slid up. Keith licked against Lance’s lips, and Lance eagerly opened up, giving Keith free reign to explore. Keith squeezed Lance’s waist before one hand slipped underneath Lance’s shirt, making its way to Lance’s chest to pinch a nipple.

Lance moaned into the kiss and pulled away, a trail of saliva between them.

“Let’s, let me take off my shirt,” he said, voice breathy.

“Yeah, that’s, that’s a good idea.”

Keith waited and watched as Lance pulled the shirt over his head. The moment he tossed it aside, Keith leaned in to lick his way down Lance’s neck, until he reached where it joined his shoulder. Keith bit and sucked, hoping to leave a hickey before he moved on to kiss his way to Lance’s chest. He licked the first nipple, then grazed his teeth on the soft skin for a moment, before moving on to give the same attention to the other. At the same time, he had had a firm hold on Lance’s hips, one hand already playing with the button of Lance’s jeans.

The sounds Lance made were enough to make Keith’s jeans feel uncomfortable around his dick. And yet, he didn’t think to open his own pants, too intent on giving Lance a good time.

Apparently, Lance had a different idea. He reached out to open Keith’s jeans and palm his dick through his boxers. Keith groaned against Lance’s skin.

“Let’s, let’s get rid of those,” Lance suggested. “Your shirt, too.”

“Alright, sure. Let’s do that.”

Keith pulled away so they could undress fully. Each article, gloves included, joined Lance’s shirt on the floor.

Finally, they were both fully naked, their hard dicks exposed to the air. Keith’s hands were itching to get his camera, get a picture of Lance right now, but he resisted. After all, he was equally eager to pleasure Lance. Maybe next time, he could ask Lance for a pre-sex shooting.

Keith leaned forward to kiss Lance, at the same time gently pushing him down until his head hit the pillow. They kissed, and kissed, skin on skin, both moaning at the contact. One of Keith’s hands wandered down to Lance’s ass, and Lance immediately spread his legs. The other hand fumbled for the lube.

He pulled away to hover over Lance, eyes dark and hungry.

“You ready?” he asked huskily.

“Yes,” Lance breathed. “God, yes.”

Keith smiled and kissed Lance’s forehead. He opened the bottle of lube and squirted a generous amount in his hand. He warmed it between his fingers, then he reached out to spread Lance’s ass. He circled Lance’s hole with the first digit before gently pushing past the rim. He pumped in and out, the whole time observing Lance's face, ready to stop if Lance looked displeased in any way. But Lance looked up at him, nodding to encourage him to go on. Keith smiled again, kissing his boyfriend as he added the next finger.

He pushed his fingers in and out, curling them and scissoring to stretch Lance. After another moment, he added the third finger to prepare him as much as possible. Eventually, Keith found Lance’s prostate, resulting in a high-pitched moan that was muffled between their lips.

Keith pulled away to whisper into Lance’s ear, “Shhh. I got you, babe.”

“Keith,” Lance moaned. “Keith, I’m ready. Please—please fuck me already.”

Keith shook his head.

“Not yet.”

He stretched Lance just a moment longer before he pulled out his fingers. Lance whimpered underneath him.

His own hands were shaky with desire as he tried to open a condom. Lance breathed a laugh.

“Wait, let me,” he offered, already sitting up and reaching out to take the condom from Keith.

He opened it and rolled it over Keith’s dick, then lowered himself onto the pillow again.

Keith smiled down at him, full to bursting with affection along with desire. He lifted Lance’s legs and aligned himself.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yes! Fuck, yes.”

Keith leaned down to kiss Lance’s temple as he pushed in slowly, inch by inch. Lance moaned, arms wrapping around Keith’s chest, fingernails scratching into the skin. When Keith’s cock was fully inside, he gave Lance a moment to adjust before pulling out until just his tip was inside. Then, he pushed back in.

Lance’s legs came down to wrap around Keith’s lower back, pulling Keith in with his ankles. Soon, they found a rhythm of push and pull, push and pull. With each moan and beg, Keith was spurred on to move faster, push harder. It felt so good, being inside Lance’s tight heat. Keith was panting hard, looking down to admire his boyfriend’s face, his eyes half-lidded, his lips open to moan Keith’s name. And god, did Keith wish he could take a picture right now, even as they were fucking; Lance was too beautiful and sexy for words. Maybe, he thought, he could talk Lance into shooting a video in the future.

Keith’s dick found Lance’s prostate and Lance cried out. Keith hit it with each following thrust.

“Keith!” Lance cried. “Keith!”

It was all he was able to say before he came between their bodies. Keith kissed him through his orgasm, never stopping his thrusts until he came soon after.

Keith kept kissing Lance until he finally pulled out. He separated and took another moment to admire Lance’s blissed-out face, the way his eyes were closed as he regained his breath. Then, Keith finally removed the condom, tying a knot so he could discard it.

“I’m gonna clean you up,” he said.

Lance only hummed in reply. Keith smiled even though Lance couldn’t see. He got up to toss the condom away and grab a towel. He walked back over to the bed and cleaned the cum off Lance.

Then, after he tossed the towel away and made sure his hands were clean, he grabbed his camera. He raised the viewfinder to his eye, adjusting the focus. He found the perfect angle and snapped a shot. Several more followed, all of different parts of Lance’s body, his face, his disarrayed curls, his hands curled into the sheets.

He shot another photo of Lance’s face just as Lance’s lips had curled into a pout and his eyes had fluttered open.

“Keith,” Lance whined. “Are you seriously taking photos of me instead of cuddling me after we just had sex?”

“Yes,” Keith said.

“Those aren’t for the album for our future kids.”

“No, just for me.”

“I didn’t know you were _that_ thirsty for me.”

“I haven’t thought about anything else ever since you were covered in my cum after you blew me back then.”

Lance blushed and huffed.

“Fine, take my picture if you have to. But make it quick so you can cuddle me.”

“Yes, princess.”

Keith snapped another shot, then he finally put his camera on the nightstand and went to join Lance on the bed. He covered them both with the blanket and wrapped his arms around Lance. They shared lazy kisses as they snuggled, too caught up in each other to think of anything else, until they eventually dozed off.

 

A couple of days into the new semester, Keith and Lance were on a date in town. They were just walking around the mall when, suddenly, Lance started dragging Keith off, his other arm pointed into the direction he was going.

“Keith, let’s go to the photo booth!” Lance said, voice high with excitement.

“Are you sure?” Keith asked, unsure.

“Yes, absolutely!” Lance replied, already reaching the curtain. “I can’t believe we’ve been together for _months_ and didn’t even visit a photo booth yet! Every decent couple should do this!”

“Uh huh,” Keith said, amused at his boyfriend’s enthusiasm. “And what kinds of photos do we take?”

“All kinds! Making faces, kissing, that kind of thing.”

“Alright, I guess we can do that.”

Several rounds later, they had a bunch of pictures making faces at the camera, smiling at each other, taking turns kissing each other’s cheeks, and full out kissing on the lips. They both bent over laughing when they looked at the picture where Lance was blowing a kiss, while Keith’s expression was a perfect mirror of the smirking cat emoji, all while imitating Lance’s trademark finger guns. But Keith’s favorite was a shot where the camera went off just as he leaned in for a kiss while tilting Lance’s chin with his finger, and Lance’s eyes were fluttered shut, lips slightly parted, in anticipation for the kiss.

“Can I put these in our picture book?” Keith asked.

“Hmmm… I was actually thinking of putting some of these in my wallet,” Lance replied.

“Then I wanna do that, too.”

“Awesome! Then we’re matching, sappy boyfriends.”

Lance laughed. Keith couldn’t help but join in.

By the end of the day, they had the pictures equally divided between them for their wallets. Keith decided to put one shot of them kissing into the picture book instead.

The book was coming along nicely. That night, before he went to sleep, he flipped through the pages he had done so far, smiling widely in the way he only reserved for Lance.

Lance had already fallen asleep next to him despite the light still being on, curled up against Keith’s side. Keith put the book down on his nightstand and turned off the lamp, then leaned down to feather a kiss to Lance’s forehead before wrapping his arms around him.

He fell asleep still smiling. He couldn’t be happier than he was right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's beautiful fanart for this chapter now!  
> [Photobooth kiss](https://yaxxm.tumblr.com/post/170768092032/commission-for-crystalklances-fanfic-take-my)
> 
> You can find me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/crystalklances) and [tumblr](http://crystalklances.tumblr.com)!


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